Posts by JEverly

Anybody try this yet? I am playing through an older QSC K8 in my room with this and when turned up fairly loud it is a thick sound. I am going to try profiling it again with some different settings to see how it differs.

Note: You won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it. I am paying around with this to see what I can make it do. To me, this is actually a usable tone. I have some York IRs that sound pretty good with it too. I obviously can't include those any of the ones I upload to share.

I did a little playing with the definition on it as well. That brightens and darkens it up... I am still a bit amazed at how well this came out as a direct profile.

Quote from Wheresthedug

I actually have half a dozen guitars I use regularly from single coil strat type to Tele to PRS vintage and modern types and even EMG Luke set. I use random rigs. Rather than tweak a lot I just pick a rig and play so it covers a lot of ground but I still rarely move clean sense from around the -5 range.

Maybe I'm just weird 🤣

I would expect it to work this way. I don't change it either. I expect different guitars with different pickups to sound different, just like they do with my amps.

I don't know why I didn't think about this when this thread first came up... I have a Fishman Aura. I could do some profiles of that and post them to share. Is there a specific acoustic you are going to use the profile with? There are a ton of them in the Aura and there are more that I could download to get as close to the exact one you are using.

As noted above, you can't morph from one profile to another. However, you can change the values of several things at the same time with the morph function. You can probably get what you are looking for by setting up morph changes on the amp itself or put a drive in front of it and set the mix to zero then morph the mix to where you want it for the tone you are looking for. You can change multiple values with morph so you could do both of these things at the same time if that is what is needed to get the tone you are looking for.

Quote from nightlight

completely killed the gain and whole lot of mids, bass and treble to get a sound I liked. In the case of these models, they sound like nothing in the real world.

In that regard, I also found the Axe to be as amp-like as the Kemper when it came to feel, which is to say they are almost there but the latency kills the experience.

Those kind of statements will get you flamed anywhere there are Fractal fan boys. I have taken a little heat just for giving my honest opinion on the experience I have been having comparing the Kemper and FM9 to a real amp. I honestly don't care if they want to hate on my results. It is my experience. Maybe I will start telling them I am thinking about selling the FM9 because it just can't keep up with the Kemper. That will make some heads explode.

I agree with your comments above. I haven't really had any lag issues. Where I really noticed the differences is in the high end response and dynamics, as I noted in my posts above. I think that will be a significant difference within the mix of a live band or a recording.

I did this writeup for another thread this weekend. I thought I would add it here as well since it is directly related.

I am setting here playing with this today. I have my SSS strat plugged into an A/B box then each of the outputs of that going through two identical cables to the Kemper and the FM9. I am using an old Fender American special loaded with custom shop fat 50's pickups in it.

The profile I am using is the Tone Junkie Dirty Surly, the cleanest one in the pack. The amp sim in the FM9 is the Dirty Shirley 2. I turned the gain to 0 and used the master volume for my output.

The Kemper TJ profile uses the Friedman DS cabinet which has a Celestion Creamback 65 in it. The IR I am using in the FM9 is G12H Creamback 421. This is a 4x12 cabinet IR so I expected it to be a little thicker.

At first the Kemper down right embarrassed the FM9 IMHO. The FM9 had such a muddy tone to it. The FM9 just has too much of everything to me and I find myself really cutting everything back to very small numbers to get the tones I like. It took A LOT of adjusting of the amp and cabinet as well as the compressor to get in the same neighborhood as the Kemper. The Kemper still sounds more like the amp. It has that chimey high end to it like the amp does. The FM9 has the high end but it just doesn't have the same dynamic qualities that the Kemper and the amp have. Even after a lot of adjustments it still has this lower mid to it that the amp really doesn't have in this setting. I could probably get it closer by putting an EQ in the chain and dialing it in more. To me, that isn't what this comparison is about. It is about how close the amp sims are to the real thing compared to how the Kemper compares to the real thing.

The difference in the top end made all the difference in the world with how they sound on the in between tones. The position 2 and 4 tones on my strat are much more pronounced with the Kemper. They are there with the FM9 but sound much more stratty with the Kemper.

I would gig either one of the tones I have going right now but much prefer the one I have in the Kemper right now. I didn't adjust the amp at all from the original TJ profile. I just cut the effects way back because he uses much heavier effects than what I do. I am getting tones I like from the FM9. I just have to dial EVERYTHING way back in it to get there. It takes a lot of adjusting and testing to get it where I want it to be.

My honest opinion is that the amps sims in the FM9 are not all that close to the amps, at least the ones I have tested that I have the real amp setting here to compare to, I have a few of them. This isn't a huge deal though. I have been able to adjust them into something I can get along with. I would ignore the name of the amp they are modeling and use your ears to find one that is close to what you want and adjust from there.

I think the FM9 may satisfy a higher gain metal player more than the clean / low / medium gain players. I think the Kemper will be the unit for the guys that don't like the endless tweaking and prefer something that has a signal chain closer to using a tube amp and pedals. To me, the Kemper does a better job at providing the actual tone and dynamics that the real amps give you.

The bottom line for me is that I will keep both of these units because I am able to do that. They each offer me something slightly different that I can use. I will factor in that I have to make a lot more adjustments in the FM9 to get the tones I am looking for. I don't mind doing that. If I am doing a gig where I need my piezo equipped guitar, I will take the FM9. If I do not need the Piezo, I will take the Kemper.

Quote from Bilinguitar

Thanks for the info! Not exactly what I was hoping to hear, but useful. Ugh what to do?

No problem. Some of the issues I had with the FM9 could possibly be resolved with some additional IRs. I was trying to stay with things that come with the units that don't require any additional purchases. I tried to use the same models and IRs of things that exist in both units to make the comparison as equal as possible. I also kept the signal chain as small as possible as to not introduce more variables. I think there are ways to get the two to sound closer but it will take more work.

Quote from dmatthews

From the manual...

The Rig Settings provide a parallel signal path, which feeds directly to the Output Section, bypassing both the stack section and the effect modules X, MOD, DLY, and REV. When “Parallel Path” is activated, module A and B become exclusive to the parallel path, allowing you to add compression and EQ, for example. modules C and D remain within the regular signal path, along with the stack and subsequent effect modules. This routing is visualized by the signal chain on the home screen.

Signal flow with Parallel Path

soft button ”Parallel Path” enables and disables this function. When enabled, the “Parallel Path Mix” parameter determines the balance between the parallel path (more to the left) and the regular signal path (more to the right).

If you use effects like distortion or compression in one of the two paths, you might find that the levels of each differ significantly. This is because the signal level is usually dependent on the instrument level, but this is often not the case when distortion or compression are involved. You can avoid level deviations like this by adjusting “Clean Sens” in the Input menu. “Clean Sens” balances clean and distorted (or compressed) sounds to equal levels. This also affects the Parallel Path.

Video...

Display More

Very interesting and very cool. I didn't know this option existed. Thanks for the post!

Hey All, I hope you are all doing well today.

I had an off the top of my head idea that I thought I would try. I was thinking that I know I can profile a cable and get a very neutral sounding clean amp profile, thanks to Kemper support for posting that in a thread. I was wondering if I could profile a pedal and get good results. I happened to be messing with some other stuff today and had a Friedman Small Box pedal on my desk. I decided to give it a try.

I profiled it as a direct profile with no cabinet then I put in one of the cabinet IRs that come in the Kemper from the factory. I chose a Celestion cream back. I like these speakers and Dave uses them in a number of his real cabinets so I thought it to be a good choice. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the profile came out. This will definitely make me try doing this with some other pedals I have as well as with some different settings on this pedal. I uploaded it to the Rig Exchange if you want to check it out. I am also going to try to attach it to this post. Let me know what you think. If you want it to have a little different midrange try changing the cabinet. This has opened up a whole new road of possibilities for me...

Small Box1 - 2021-12-05 15-09-59.zip

Quote from chu

I use a parallel path, with a Fishman Aura profile in the amp module (from RigManager). Add a stereo widener post amp I can blend the two paths accordingly. Sounds marvellous to my ears.

A parallel path? With the Kemper? Do tell...

Quote from Bilinguitar

What do you think about single coil cleans between the units? That's also something I care about.

I am setting here playing with this today. I have my SSS strat plugged into an A/B box then each of the outputs of that going through two identical cables to the Kemper and the FM9. I am using an old Fender American special loaded with custom shop fat 50's pickups in it.

The profile I am using is the Tone Junkie Dirty Surly, the cleanest one in the pack. The amp sim in the FM9 is the Dirty Shirley 2. I turned the gain to 0 and used the master volume for my output.

The Kemper TJ profile uses the Friedman DS cabinet which has a Celestion Creamback 65 in it. The IR I am using in the FM9 is G12H Creamback 421. This is a 4x12 cabinet IR so I expected it to be a little thicker.

At first the Kemper down right embarrassed the FM9 IMHO. The FM9 had such a muddy tone to it. The FM9 just has too much of everything to me and I find myself really cutting everything back to very small numbers to get the tones I like. It took A LOT of adjusting of the amp and cabinet as well as the compressor to get in the same neighborhood as the Kemper. The Kemper still sounds more like the amp. It has that chimey high end to it like the amp does. The FM9 has the high end but it just doesn't have the same dynamic qualities that the Kemper and the amp have. Even after a lot of adjustments it still has this lower mid to it that the amp really doesn't have in this setting. I could probably get it closer by putting an EQ in the chain and dialing it in more. To me, that isn't what this comparison is about. It is about how close the amp sims are to the real thing compared to how the Kemper compares to the real thing.

The difference in the top end made all the difference in the world with how they sound on the in between tones. The position 2 and 4 tones on my strat are much more pronounced with the Kemper. They are there with the FM9 but sound much more stratty with the Kemper.

I would gig either one of the tones I have going right now but much prefer the one I have in the Kemper right now. I didn't adjust the amp at all from the original TJ profile. I just cut the effects way back because he uses much heavier effects than what I do. I am getting tones I like from the FM9. I just have to dial EVERYTHING way back in it to get there. It takes a lot of adjusting and testing to get it where I want it to be.

My honest opinion is that the amps sims in the FM9 are not all that close to the amps, at least the ones I have tested that I have the real amp setting here to compare to, I have a few of them. This isn't a huge deal though. I have been able to adjust them into something I can get along with. I would ignore the name of the amp they are modeling and use your ears to find one that is close to what you want and adjust from there.

I think the FM9 may satisfy a higher gain metal player more than the clean / low / medium gain players. I think the Kemper will be the unit for the guys that don't like the endless tweaking and prefer something that has a signal chain closer to using a tube amp and pedals. To me, the Kemper does a better job at providing the actual tone and dynamics that the real amps give you.

The bottom line for me is that I will keep both of these units because I am able to do that. They each offer me something slightly different that I can use. I will factor in that I have to make a lot more adjustments in the FM9 to get the tones I am looking for. I don't mind doing that. If I am doing a gig where I need my piezo equipped guitar, I will take the FM9. If I do not need the Piezo, I will take the Kemper.

I am glad you asked this question. It gave me another chance to try getting another specific tone from both units and comparing it to my amp. That is always a fun day.

Something you could try is to get an acoustic guitar IR and load it into the cab section. I did this with my FM9 and it worked pretty good. There are some decent free acoustic IRs out there. I can't remember the site I pulled mine from but I can probably find it if you need it.

Quote from Bilinguitar

What do you think about single coil cleans between the units? That's also something I care about.

I happen to have a strat on the stand in my room with 3 single coils in it. I will give that a try when I get a chance and let you know. I was working with a guitar with low to medium gain humbuckers in it. I switch back and forth a lot.

Quote from Wheresthedug

Try toggling the ground lift switch on the KPA output. That kind of buzz is normally caused by an earth loop.

Do this. I think I found in the manual to flip all of the ground lifts but one. I did that on mine and was able to profile with no issues.

I think part of whether someone likes the FM9 better than the Kemper is how high gain of tones you are going for. The FM9 has a lot more gain than the profiles I have for my Kemper. I don't really play super high gain tones though. Thankfully I am in a position where I can keep both of them and will. To me they are just different units that do things from different angles.

It took quite a bit of adjusting time to get the FM9 in the ballpark of the Kemper with the Dirty Shirly amp model. I have the Tone Junkie profiles of this amp and I also have a Twin Sister amp that has two of this same circuit in it. That gives me something that a lot of people don't get and that is the ability to compare the kemper and FM9 to the real amp. The Kemper is way closer to the real amp than the FM9. I have the gain down to 1.5 on the FM9 just to get in the same ballpark. The models of this amp in the FM9 have more gain than the real amp has. I bought three York Audio IR packs on black Friday. My next step will be to add a creamback IR to both units to see if that gets them closer.

You set what is affected by the knob on the Kemper. If I remember correctly is it in the output section. There are check boxes for what all is affected when you turn the knob. Your FOH is probably unchecked.

I was looking at the M4 and the Mk5 yesterday. I am not sure which would be better for me. Both look really good. The Mk5 is .1ms faster but that could all be in the driver. The price difference in them is quite a bit. I am not sure that I would ever need all of the outputs that the Mk5 has. Call me shallow but I like the look of the color meters on the M4. The Mk5 doesn't look as nice to me.

Quote from Lukcv88

What about amplifier, do You guitarists mostly use wireless option or wired?

I really love wireless option, because of no cables but on the other hand, as a electric guitarist who is 99% stationary, maybe I dont see point having wireless option and maybe pay more for better IEMs.

Actually, I see that Kemper can send monitor mix to the headphone out so it can be used for IEMs, just need maybe extension cable for headphones jack. Any of You doing things like that?

Thanks for all replys.

Display More

I use this.

https://www.sweetwater.com/sto…monitoring-system-a1-band

It is expensive but works well. I am pretty picky about my wireless units. I won't buy anything that doesn't say Sennheiser or Shure on it. I have had others in the past and had a lot of issues. Once I started sticking with these brands, and paying a good bit more, the problems went away. I run wireless on guitar and IEM. I think the only member of the band that can really get away with a wired IEM is the drummer since he stays seated all night.

Be careful buying budget IEMs. You get what you pay for with these IMHO. I use a Sennheiser IEM system with Shure SE425 earbuds. This setup was not cheap but it performs well. This type of setup is used by touring bands, which is why I went that direction. If it will stand up to the road abuse from being used many times a week and packed an moved around, it will hold up to what I will put it through.

The earbuds that came with the Sennheiser unit actually sound pretty good and would get you a good idea of whether you are going to like them or not so you could buy a unit and then decide later to upgrade to a multiple driver earbud.

Following. I have been considering buying a new recording interface. I want to get one that I can use with my Mac or my PC. I use ProTools and can install that on either platform. I am currently running it on a Mac but I want to future proof this for as long as I can. I may decide to go with a PC platform in the future depending on the prices when I do the upgrade. I don't see me doing that for at least a few years though. I think the inter faces have become good enough to last for a good period of time. I am willing to spend a little on it. I need it to have a few ins and outs. I will definitely look into the Mk5 suggested here.